On a recent Monday, we were in the mood for sandwiches a little more creative than basic grilled cheese or PB and J. We headed over to Huong Lan for a couple of banh mi and ended up taking home a buffet.

The eatery, tucked into a strip mall at West and Hammer lanes, is part restaurant, part market. There are a few tables for dining in, and service is order-at-the-counter. Made to order are the sandwiches and a few other things like noodle dishes. There are about 10 variations of banh mi, including fish patties, vegetarian and the ones we decided on, meatball and grilled pork ($3).

The sandwiches were on excellent crusty baguettes, and came with traditional toppings: pickled vegetables, jalapeņos and cilantro. The combinations were excellent. The pork sandwich was served cold, so the meat and the veggies were the same temperature. The meatball, served warm, was well-spiced with a smooth texture.

If you're not a fan of spice, be sure to specify, because that jalapeņo definitely grabs the spotlight.

To cool things off, there's also an entire menu of bubble teas (also called pearl teas, with little pearls of tapioca in the liquid). Choices ($3 for drinks on ice, $3.75 for blended shakes) include some pretty exotic options such as basil seeds, green milk tea and honeydew. The honeydew shake was a slam dunk. It tasted like just fresh fruit with a little sugar. The green milk tea was an acquired taste, a little floral, but it was well blended and the tapioca pearls added a fun, chewy texture.

The market section is the perfect way to try a bunch of prepared foods and share with friends. The section is small but jam-packed. There is a wide selection of Asian snack foods like shrimp chips, tamarind candy and Hello Panda biscuits. There is also a refrigerator full of sodas and liquids such as grass jelly drink ... which we regret not having tried just to satisfy our curiosity.

On top of a table is a selection of sweets and small entrees, such as sliced pork, spicy chicken or spring rolls. We tried the shrimp and pork spring rolls ($3), which came in a package of two. But these two were so big that they were practically four. They were filled with rice noodles, lettuce and the meat, and served with a side of peanut sauce. They were very fresh but we missed the herby note of cilantro or mint.

On our way out, we couldn't resist grabbing a selection of the treats. We picked four: the Banh Bo (sweet sticky rice, $1.75), Banh Bong Lan (sponge cake, $2.75), Banh Bo Nuong (a coconut-flavored rice treat, $1.75) and Banh Bao Hot Ga Ngot (sweet egg bao, $2). These were a tasty variation on our diet of typical American desserts - not quite as sweet, and definitely different textures. The bao fared best, with a delicious, not-too-sweet filling wrapped in moist dough. The sponge cake wasn't so popular, thought by some to be a little dry. The coconut rice was also a top pick for its tropical sweetness.